A well-known problem with shoelaces, other types of laces and similar items which are tied together is that they may often become untied requiring the wearer to stop whatever activity he or she is pursuing and to retie the shoelaces to a satisfactory position. Particularly with respect to children in their play activities, this places a burden on their parents and other adults around them. In sports activities it can actually stop play altogether or require a player to be removed from a game until his laces are properly tied. In other sports loose or untied shoelaces may cause the athlete to lose his concentration and adversely affect performance.
In addition to the functional features of tying devices, shoes and socks and other footwear have recently become the basis for and subject of various ornaments. Thus, in addition to the utility of having a knot secured, it is also desirable to have the device amenable to support various art work. The form of attachment to the shoelaces should make the device relatively easy to secure to the shoe while displaying the art work in a manner acceptable to the purchasing public.
Although devices have existed previously to prevent shoelaces from becoming untied they have suffered from a number of problems which has detracted from their acceptance by the general public. Many of these problems have been overcome by an invention disclosed and claimed in U.S. application Ser. No. 497,705 and filed on May 24, 1983. The devices prior to my earlier invention were often cumbersome, extremely complicated and costly and not cosmetically pleasing to the eye. Because of the complexity and the time required to secure a device to the shoe, it was simply not worth the effort to employ complicated devices regardless of their utility. Furthermore, the device may not have been configured to remain on the shoe when the shoes were untied for storage for other nonuse.
Although disposable devices have become available, some users simply prefer to have a reusable device, because it may be more economical, more appealing to the eye and generally more acceptable in the marketplace. The invention described in my copending application entitled REUSABLE TYING DEVICES, Ser. No. 521,942, filed Aug. 10, 1983, overcomes many of the problems discussed above and are improvements upon at least to some extent the invention disclosed in my earlier application as aforementioned. The invention disclosed herein is another improvement and overcomes many of the same problems.
Generally, the device disclosed includes a tying portion which permits the device to be secured to the shoe and a body portion which extends beneath the knot when the device is secured to the shoe for exposing and displaying art work. In addition, the device disclosed includes features for holding the knot in place in an ornamental and appealing manner. The knot is exposed with minimum obstruction by a holding mechanism without detracting from the utility of securing the knot in place, or affecting the aesthetics of the bow.
The device includes body portion for supporting any art work beneath the knot and a tying member for securing the device to the shoe. The tying member includes two spaced eyelets such that the laces can extend through the eyelets and tie into a knot on the front face of the tying member. Extending between the tying member and the body portion are spaced band portions or flexible connectors for engagement with the knot. The tying member also includes one portion of a separable fastener member which cooperates with another portion of a separable fastener member on the body portion to lock the two portions together with the flexible connectors in tension for securing the knot in place. More specifically the separable fasteners are of the hook and loop type having complementary portions on body portion and tying member for interengagement with another.
The above has been a brief discussion of certain deficiencies which have existed in tying devices and features of an invention which have overcome these deficiencies. Other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment which follows.